Congressional Newsletters

RAND Congressional newsletters and alerts highlight our research on the most relevant issues in the public policy debate. See the most recent issues below.

Education Policy

Considering Education Policy in the 116th Congress

Feb 8, 2019

What are the biggest education policy issues facing the 116th Congress? RAND experts offer up insight on a variety of topics, including early childhood care and learning, K-12 policy, higher education, workforce development, and more.
Health Care Payment Approaches

In Case You Missed It: What Are the Potential Impacts of Single-Payer Health Care?

Feb 6, 2019

Controlling costs while improving health care access dominates policy debates in Congress. Some policymakers are increasingly discussing “Medicare-for-All” proposals. During a recent RAND congressional briefing, Jodi Liu discussed considerations for policymakers thinking about single-payer proposals and their likely effects on cost and access.
Homeland Security

Considering Homeland Security Policy in the 116th Congress

Feb 4, 2019

What are the biggest homeland security policy issues facing the 116th Congress? RAND experts offer up insight on a variety of topics, including information warfare, cyber threats, terrorism, and more.
Counterterrorism

Who Joins Foreign Terrorist Groups?

Jan 31, 2019

An accurate understanding of the demographic profile of persons drawn to terrorist groups--and how it has changed over time--may help policymakers improve counterterrorism efforts.
Public Health

Considering Health Care Policy in the 116th Congress

Jan 30, 2019

What are the biggest health care policy issues facing the 116th Congress? RAND experts offer up insight on a variety of topics, including the opioid crisis, health care payment and delivery, veterans' health issues, and more.
Criminal Justice

Considering Justice Policy in the 116th Congress

Jan 25, 2019

What are the biggest justice policy issues facing the 116th Congress? RAND experts offer up insight on a variety of topics, including drug policy, gun policy, and criminal justice reform.
Military Spouses

Are DoD Scholarships for Military Spouses Making a Difference?

Dec 19, 2018

The Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act included a provision to improve awareness of the My Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) Scholarship. This scholarship provides financial assistance for education and training in portable career fields to spouses whose service members are early in their careers.
Military Families

Enhancing Family Stability During PCS Moves

Nov 30, 2018

About one-third of service members experience a permanent change of station (PCS) move every year. These moves are a stressor for military families and are associated with disruptions to family stability.
China

The Dawn of China’s Belt and Road Initiative

Nov 8, 2018

As China continues to build relationships with the developing world through the Belt and Road Initiative, U.S. policymakers will be challenged with determining whether and how to encourage China to act as a cooperative partner.
Tobacco and Smoking

The Impact of E-Cigarettes on Youth

Nov 1, 2018

Teenage usage of e-cigarettes has been the target of recent government scrutiny, including a September declaration by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that usage of e-cigarettes by youth has reached “epidemic” levels.
Africa

Reforming Security Assistance for Africa

Oct 25, 2018

Recent RAND analysis of U.S. security sector assistance (SSA) to Africa shows a mixed record. For most of the past quarter-century, SSA has been highly inefficient, achieving no aggregate reduction in insurgencies or terrorism in the countries that received the assistance.
Terrorism Financing

In Case You Missed It: Current Trends in Terrorism and Illicit Finance

Oct 10, 2018

Terrorist organizations rely on funding in order to operate and achieve their objectives. It is important to keep these organizations from acquiring funds, and there are ways the United States and its partners can combat terrorist financing.